Panic Button
by Hadrianna
Summary: "You'll kill us anyway" Lennox replied defiantly. "Yes. But there's a difference between a quick and a slow death" his adversary said with a cruel grin. Set after DotM. M for language and violence. Hurt!Sam, Hurt/Protective!Lennox, but no slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Panic Button**

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Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own any of the characters. If I did, I could probably think of better things to do than writing about them :p

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Sam sighed as he noticed the blue light in the rearview mirror. He knew he had been driving a little above the speed limit, but nothing that would have warranted him being pulled over by a police officer. That probably meant one thing: The officer in question was in a really, really bad mood.

Carly would kill him. He had already been late due to the conference, and this wouldn't make his case any better. Great. He lifted his foot from the speeder and put it on the break instead, immediately slowing down his … no, he wouldn't go as far as to call it a car … his piece of junk. It was the best he could do with his current wage, but after driving Bee for so many years, this yellow substitution just wouldn't do. Sometimes – most of the time, actually – he missed his gigantic friend, however right now their lives just weren't intertwined and Bee's help was needed elsewhere.

Sam steered his vehicle onto the emergency lane and came to an abrupt halt. The police car behind him stopped as well, shining in eerie dark red and black colors in the light of his backlights. It was a Saleen, Sam could now see, and its headlights were turned off, both of which somehow made him nervous.

_Just old habits_. He forced himself to calm down, rolled down the window and put both hands on the wheel, but the officer didn't leave his car, which puzzled Sam. _Calm down_, he told himself. _He died in Chicago. No need to worry_.

"Please step out of the car" he suddenly heard a voice that somehow sounded metallic. Probably the speaker that was damaged. Still, for a second Sam pondered whether he should just drive on and risk a chase with a highway patrol if he was wrong, but then he thought back to that fateful day in Chicago and remembered _him_ being in the area where the bomb exploded. There was no way he could have survived that. So Sam slowly opened the door and left the safety of his car (haha).

"Now step away from the vehicle, sir."

Again Sam did as he was told and moved a few steps away, looking expectantly at the police car. The headlights were turned on now and blinded him, so he couldn't see anyone inside, but of course that didn't mean that no one was driving the car. _Barricade's dead!_ Sam thought once more, but the next few seconds were about to work against this opinion.

"Now please cower in fear while I demolish your vehicle."

At first Sam thought it had to be a joke, so he laughed nervously. Then again – he was alone on a highway in the middle of the night, still miles away from any major city, and the police car's engine _was_ suddenly rearing up… A few heartbeats went by where Sam simply stood and watched in awe, unable to believe that this was actually happening to him a fourth time, then he jumped away from the scene and ducked behind a guarding rail as quickly as possible as the police car suddenly rose on its back tires and grew in height, until it stood 17 feet tall and threatening above him, its front tires turning into wildly spinning wheel blades that cut through the metal of his car with ease, leaving only splintered, yellow pieces lying around. One of the pieces whirled right past him, only missing him by an inch, while another one drilled its way into his cover, far too close to his face for his taste. His first thought was that he wouldn't make it to work without a car after the weekend. His second thought was that he had slightly bigger problems at hand than work right now with Barricade slicing the last of Sam's means of transportation into very little parts.

Sam didn't hesitate another second. As fast as his fingers would allow him to, he found his cell phone in his back pocket and dialed the number to be found under "IECE" – if this wasn't an extraterrestrial case of emergency, nothing was.

The ringing tone was a little bit hard to make out with all the thundering noise of splintering metal behind him, but he could hear it ring once, twice, a third time, then a _click_ told him that the receiver had picked up. Sam's heart made a jump for joy, but before he could have said anything at all, a sharp pain shot through his right hand and he dropped the cell phone with a cry of pain. As he looked down, he could see blood – a lot of blood – dripping down his fingers and landing on the remains of his chance for a rescue. He cursed and whirled around as he saw something from the corner of his eye, ducking at the last second as something very fast and very deadly came right at him. With satisfaction he noted that his reflexes apparently hadn't suffered from the quiet, past year, as his body began to take evasive action without Sam even having to think about it. He threw himself to the left as his adversary – not Barricade, as he now realized – attacked him from the right, caught his fall by rolling off his left shoulder and was back on his feet in less than a second. That seemed to catch the other Decepticon off guard, but he didn't spend one precious second on trying to make out _who_ was aiming for him. He simply turned around and did the one thing that made sense in this situation: He ran.

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	2. Chapter 2

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Colonel William Lennox took a deep breath before saying the words that were most difficult for him and accompanying them with a surrendering gesture: "I give up." He saw how Sarah enjoyed this situation with a sparkling satisfaction in her beautiful eyes, then answered with a somehow crooked grin: "Told you it wouldn't be easy."

"Easy" Lennox shot back, "is to stand up against an alien race that is bent on enslaving mankind. _This_ is impossible." He looked down at the four year old girl lying in her bed and smiling broadly. Why, why, _why_ wouldn't she go to sleep? It wasn't as if he had plans for the evening after all!

"Tell me another story about Bee, Daddy!" she exclaimed with glee and crawled back on his lap. Sarah laughed softly beside him and encouraged her: "Yes, Daddy, tell us another story."

Lennox couldn't help but smile and felt how calming warmth spread through his body. Though it had been almost a year since the last great battle, he still sometimes thought about how differently the outcome could have been if the Autobots hadn't returned and saved the day. How differently life would have been for his daughter and wife if they would have had to witness their known world falling apart. In moments like these, when the thoughts were about to overwhelm him, there was nothing more comforting than spending time with his family. Even if young Annabelle was driving him insane with her insatiable hunger for more stories. So he just sighed, padded her blonde hair and began telling her another one of the stories that she hopefully still thought to be pure science fiction.

Twenty minutes later, she was finally asleep. As carefully as possible, Lennox lifted her from his legs while Sarah pulled up the blanket. He laid her on the mattress and kissed her softly on the forehead, before tucking her in and finally, finally having the time to greet Sarah with the long, intense kiss he had promised her when he had left for his last mission two months ago.

Before his lips even got close to hers, the phone rang.

That _had_ to be a joke! He sighed deeply as he noticed how Annabelle's eyes flew open at the unexpected sound. Sarah padded him compassionately on the shoulder and whispered in his ear: "I'll take care of this. Go answer the phone, it's probably for you anyways."

Lennox had to agree with her – none of her friends would call in the middle of the night, so it was probably someone from N.E.S.T. As he hurried into the living room, he already prepared an opening line that would sound as annoyed as humanly possible, something creative like "This better be important!", but then he recognized the number on the display and forgot all about his plans for this night. "Sam?" he asked with worry as he picked up the phone.

For a second, he was sure he could hear an unnerving sound - a high pitched scream, if he wasn't mistaken – then the line went dead.

"Who was that?" he heard Sarah ask behind him, but he didn't answer her right away. "I better make some calls" he muttered instead and couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

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He had only just finished his second call, when there sounded a knock on the door. Though he hadn't asked for anyone to come over just yet, he wasn't surprised that a unit had been dispatched to his house anyways. As far as he knew, they hadn't been able to trace Sam's phone, which confirmed his fears that it had been destroyed in some kind of attack. The more he thought about it, the surer he became that he _had_ heard a scream and that it _had_ been Sam's. But what had happened? His first thought had been 'Cons, but then again – they had been defeated last year, their leader had died, so why should the remaining ones decide to focus the military's attention on them by attacking Sam? Revenge? Or maybe they just hadn't expected him to be able to alarm anyone?

Lennox sighed and got up. He would probably have to get back to base as soon as possible, see what he could find out from there. Maybe they could track the last known location of the phone. Maybe someone had heard something. On their way there they would have to stop by at Carly's however – he hadn't the heart to tell her about this whole situation on the phone.

Sarah popped her head out of Annabelle's bedroom: "It's alright, honey. We'll just wait for you."

He smiled at her and closed the distance between them with three fast steps, pressing his lips softly on hers.

"I love you" he whispered into her ear.

"I love you too" she replied with one of her breathtaking smiles. "But you better hurry before I change my mind, soldier."

Lennox returned her smile, found his jacket and keys on the way to the door and opened it just as the person standing outside was about to knock again. His hand was on the height of his face, so it took Lennox a few seconds to realize who was waiting there on the stairs, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Sam?" he muttered in disbelief. "What are you… How…?" Then he noticed the bad shape his friend was in: His face and hands were covered in bruises, his shirt was torn and dirty, and on his hand he had a wound that was covered by caked blood. "Oh my God, are you alright?" Lennox exclaimed and was about to call for Sarah, when his friend answered in a hoarse voice: "I'm fine. But I need to talk to you." With a glimpse on the hallway behind the door he added: "Alone."

Lennox nodded and closed the door behind him, not taking his eyes from the boy in front of him. "What happened to you, Sam?" he wanted to know. "Your call was disconnected, you …"

Sam gave him a thin smile and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. I had some important information I wanted to share with you, but decided that it would be better to talk to you in person."

At that Lennox raised an eyebrow in surprise. So what, he had just smashed his phone after making that decision? That didn't make any sense, but his curiosity had been stirred, so he decided to ask him about this inconsistency later. "What kind of information?"

Sam turned around and seemed to take in the view, possibly to look out for anyone who might be watching. Considering that it was by now half past one in the morning in a suburban area, Lennox wasn't quite sure who Sam thought might be interested in whatever he wanted to share with him, but as long as he didn't know anything about the information he wasn't about to argue with his friend.

"Follow me" Sam said and sounded a bit too commanding for Lennox' taste. What on earth was going on? He walked down the staircase that led up to the front door and followed the boy away from the house until they had reached a dark side alley that was as quiet as they came in daytime. At night it was simply dead. Lennox could make out a dark car standing on the sidewalk half a mile up the road, only sparely alit by one lonely street lamp.

Something wasn't right. He couldn't explain where the feeling came from – probably years and years of practical experience in times of war – but it washed over him like a giant wave and automatically made him tense his muscles. "Sam…" he muttered and took a step closer to the boy, taking a protective stance in front of him. They weren't alone, of that he was sure. "We better get to base" he finished his sentence, but Sam shook his head. "We don't have much time. I need to know where Megatron's remains are hidden."

The request was so far-fetched that Lennox would have laughed if the situation hadn't been as grave. Of course he knew what had been done with the dead 'Con, but he wasn't at liberty to share this information with anyone, not even with Sam who had helped to bring about their enemy's fall time and time again. "I'm sorry" he finally answered after a few seconds. "That information is –"

"Classified, I know" Sam shot back with an angry tone in his voice. "But it's really crucial that I know. Something's happened."

Lennox looked directly into Sam's eyes in hopes of finding anything in there that might help explain the boy's query, but all he saw was a decisive fire that sent shivers down his spine. His friend wanted to know. _Needed_ to know – but still he couldn't tell him. "I'm sorry" he muttered once more. "I can try to talk to my superiors, but I –"

"That's not good enough!" Sam exclaimed, apparently quite agitated, which left Lennox puzzled. What could have happened to his friend to act like this? He tried to make a soothing notion, but was once more taken aback when the boy suddenly grabbed his wrist and hissed: "I _need_ to know!"

For a heartbeat, Lennox just stared at Sam in a mixture of surprise and worry, still trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Then he remembered the unnerving feeling he had had when they had entered the alley. Initially he had thought that _they_ weren't alone. Now he realized the error in that equation. _He_ wasn't alone. Hadn't been since _Sam_ had knocked on the door. In a sudden understanding, Lennox tried to free his hand, but as he had expected, _Sam_ was far too strong for a boy. For a human, even. He moaned in pain as _Sam_ twisted his wrist, pinned his arm behind his back and forced him down on the pavement by kicking him hard in the hollow of his right knee.

"W-what have you done to Sam?" he uttered through clenched teeth as he tried to look up at the Pretender. Though they had met Pretenders before in their fight against the Decepticons, these half-organic 'Cons had never taken the form of anyone they knew, but obviously that didn't mean that they couldn't. _Sam_ here was proof of that.

"Irrelevant" the Pretender answered. The voice was still Sam's, though it had taken on a more mechanical sound, as if the 'Con knew that it wouldn't serve any purpose to keep up the disguise. "Just answer my question, fleshling."

Lennox' mind worked feverishly on a way out. The 'Con needed him, apparently, so it wouldn't kill him just yet, even if he tried something to get away from it. But that didn't mean that it wouldn't use its mechanical assets to chop off a leg or an arm just to give him a warning. In this position, he couldn't reach for his phone, and he hadn't thought it necessary to bring any weapons when he had followed _Sam_ out of the house. Where there any options at all?

_Answering it_, an obnoxious voice in the back of his head whispered. Yeah, that would most certainly get him out of this plight alive. No, he would have to think of something else.

"I don't like to wait, human" the Pretender snarled and put more force on his grip around Lennox' arm, making him gasp.

"And I… don't like to… disobey orders" Lennox managed to say while letting the pain move through him like a temporary companion. Though it didn't disappear completely, it was now nothing but background noise. "Tough luck."

The Pretender retorted with an angry snarl, but before it could say anything else, its whole body tensed as if it had sensed something. But what? Or better yet: who? Lennox' unspoken question was answered only a second later, when a sharp light filled the alley and the sound of a powerful motor disturbed the quiet of the night. A Humvee, he realized with a mixture of relief and worry when his eyes had gotten used to the sudden brightness. What if those were civilians?

"Brought some friends, did you?" he heard _Sam's_ voice close to his ear. "Stupid move."

He knew the 'Con was right when an order was barked through the vehicle's speaker system: "Step away from the colonel slowly, Witwicky."

Lennox cursed silently. They thought it was Sam. Of course they thought it was Sam, dammit! That meant they wouldn't shoot unless it was absolutely necessary, and even if they did, they wouldn't be using sabot rounds, which could've taken his attacker out instantly. Maybe, if he was lucky, they would call Optimus now that they knew Sam was involved. But how long would it take for the Autobots to reach him?

"Step away from him _now_" the man in the Humvee commanded once more and earned only an amused laughter from the 'Con. Instead of following orders, the Pretender shouted back: "I don't think so" and produced a weapon that had been hidden underneath the shirt. Lennox felt the cold steel against his temple and forced himself to continue breathing as calmly as possible. The 'Con wouldn't shoot. It still needed his answer.

"How about you fuck off before I blow the colonel's head off?"

A moment of silence followed, then the voice in the car said: "Alright, Sam. Just don't do anything rash. Bee's on his way, so calm down, okay?"

_Sam_ didn't do anything rash and just swore silently under his breath. The black vehicle on the other end of the alley was a different matter entirely. Only a heartbeat later its engine flared up with a loud roar, then it came darting towards them with a speed that seemed impossible for any normal car. But Barricade, as Lennox now understood, wasn't normal, not in human terms anyways. He could feel how the grip around his arm tightened once more, then he felt the Pretender's other hand on his shoulder. The weapon landed beside him with a loud thud. Barricade steered to the right with spinning wheels and slid towards them with the driver's door side first, and he came closer _fast_! Lennox tried to exploit his chance and reached for the gun with a dexterous movement, but before his fingers could close around it, the Pretender lifted him up like he weighed nothing and hurled him towards the black police car. He gasped in shock, preparing himself for the impact that would most certainly come within the next heartbeat, but just before he could have hit the deadly metal, the door flew open and he was catapulted inside, still landing painfully hard on the leather seats, but not breaking every bone in his body as he had feared. As fast as his battered body could muster he tried to sit up, only to discover that Barricade was continuing his slide as if he wanted to take the Humvee down by simply crashing into it.

"What are you –" Lennox began and was interrupted by the Pretender, who jumped into the 'Con's driver's seat with an elegant motion and closed the door shut before looking straight at him. "You better prepare yourself" it hissed and then everything turned into a whirlwind of chaos.

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	3. Chapter 3

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A spacebridge. Lennox still had a hard time believing that he suddenly found himself several 1,000 miles from home, at least according to the Pretender's comment on his pained groan when he had dared to open his eyes again.

"Welcome to Jordan, _colonel_" the 'Con had said, somehow making that last word sound like an insult. Lennox hadn't been in any shape to answer due to the nausea and disorientation the jump had caused him. He hadn't tried this kind of technology before, but Sam and Mikaela had told him about the aftereffects that, according to his friend, were a bit like riding a rollercoaster. Again. And Again. And … well, he got the idea and he had to agree with Sam. During the jump, it felt like something tried to turn everything inside him upside down, and now everything seemed to fall back into place. The up and down of the 'Con moving through the stony desert certainly didn't make it better.

Jordan. _Why have they chosen this place of all possible locations?_ Lennox thought with a touch of nervousness. Did they know about … No, if they knew, he wouldn't be here. Lennox made a movement that suggested his wish to get up, and when the Pretender didn't react, he sat up and leaned back against the black leather of the passenger's seat. He had been sitting inside a transformated Autobot before and had felt that awestruck emotion by the thought of how fast the car could turn into something quite larger, but being inside one of the 'Cons was a quite different experience and not one he cherished, especially with that eerily fake Sam beside him. He was probably safe for now, he pondered, as they still needed to know the location of their dead leader, but on the other hand no one knew where he was, which meant that there probably wouldn't be any help other than what he managed to do himself.

But how to get away from these two, especially while sitting inside one of them? And what about Sam? Considering that both Autobots and Decepticons needed to _see_ the object they wanted to transform into, it was fair to assume that the Pretender would have met Sam in order to take on his form. But had they just scanned him from a distance? Or had they actually hoped that he had any information on the desired location and then … Lennox gulped … _disposed_ of him as they understood that he didn't know? No, he couldn't think like that. Not now. Right now he needed to focus on his surroundings and keep an open eye to possible means of escape. He looked scrutinizingly at the door to his right and wondered whether it would be locked. Was it worth to put it to the test? His gaze went over the brownish sand and the black rocks outside – there were no buildings or settlements anywhere, which meant that his chances of getting away, even _if_ he managed to get out of Barricade, would be more than slim. It wouldn't do him any good to risk it right now. His look met the Pretender's, but he could see no emotion inside its cold eyes.

Why didn't the Pretender ask him about Megatron again? They were alone here, with nothing but desert as far as the eye could see, so why not just finish what he had started in Washington? Where were they taking him? And most important of all: What did they want with Megatron? Had they found a way to revive him? _You could just ask_, his annoying little voice told him, but he shook his head imperceptibly. Why should they answer anything he wanted to know?

So he just sat in silence for a while and let the scenery pass by. What had the others told Sarah after his sudden disappearance? He thought back at that moment of peace where he had held Annabelle in his arms and his beautiful wife had sat beside him, trying to find strength in this fond memory. He would make it back to her, to both of them. He had to.

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It took them about twenty minutes to reach their destination, and Lennox finally understood why it had to be Jordan. Apparently they had thought that the military would hide Megatron inside the old grave of the Primes, as the location at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss had been compromised. They weren't all that wrong, he had to admit, and he was glad that he had been one of those voting against the ruins of Petra.

"Now what?" he asked as Barricade came to a full stop in front of the temple entrance. The answer was about what he had expected from a 'Con – there came none, but instead the doors flew open and Barricade catapulted them both out while already turning into his more fitting form. Lennox' body acted instinctively, curling up into a ball as he landed on his shoulder and allowing him to avoid the full force of the impact. He was back on his feet with one swift motion and considered briefly to make a run for it. He remembered this area from aerial images and knew that the next town lay around five clicks east of here, but even if he could have managed to cross the desert without any water, the Pretender and Barricade were a lot faster than him and would have ended his escape before it had begun. Furthermore he wasn't too interested in drawing two hostiles too close to civilians.

He swore in frustration and turned around to his two enemies, yelling up at Barricade: "_Now what?_"

"Now you tell us where you have hidden Megatron, fleshling" the Pretender just said.

Lennox turned around to face it, then crossed his arms in front of his chest and replied as coolly as he could under these circumstances: "I already told you it's classified. Go find something else to play with."

Maybe not the smartest move to react snappy, he thought half a second later as he was confronted with the whirling blades that Barricade used to dissect his adversaries. Lennox stood his ground, though it cost him every ounce of self-control he could muster not to back away from the whirring sound and the cold air that was blown into his direction due to the blades' movement.

"I'll give you something to play with!" the 'Con barked in its deep, resounding voice and moved the weapons just an inch closer, almost touching Lennox' chest by now. He managed not to blink when he said: "Sorry, I think I'm too old for toys like that."

At that Barricade just snarled, but the Pretender wasn't as patient. Out of the corner of his eye Lennox saw a treacherous, silvery glitter and managed to jump out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by the metallic tentacle that suddenly seemed to grow out of his opponent's back.

Lennox spent one heartbeat too long on staring at the deadly tail and thus making the mistake to forget about Barricade. A mistake he paid for dearly, when he was struck hard in the back by the 'Con's arm and flew forward towards the temple entrance.

"I'll handle this" he heard the Pretender say before landing ungently on the stony ground. "You make sure we weren't followed."

Somehow Lennox managed to break his fall and scrambled back to his feet, but even though he knew it would come he didn't have the time to dodge the Pretender's next attack. The tail closed itself around his ankle and swept him off his feet. Before he could have hit the ground, however, he was lifted up and flung violently into the temple. Once more Lennox prepared himself for the fall, but this time the attack had been too brutal for his body to handle the impact. Somehow he managed to roll off his right shoulder, but he was way too fast and tumbled over a couple of times before crashing into the wall opposite to the entrance. A sharp pain shot through his back and his head, and he only barely managed to stifle a cry. For a second, everything went black, then his vision returned and he got back to his feet without giving his body the break it yearned for. No time for that now. As he spun around to meet the Pretender's next attack, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye that shifted his focus away from the 'Con.

Or so he thought. Suddenly the Pretender was kneeling in the farthest part of the room in front of a broken down wall that probably led into the tomb itself. It was staring at him out of large, brown eyes with a mixture of surprise and shock.

No, Lennox corrected himself with a growing feeling of concern, that wasn't the Pretender. That was Sam.

"L-lennox?" the boy asked weakly. Lennox saw that he was bleeding out of several small wounds and his arms had been tied behind his back, but otherwise he seemed to be alright – or at least as alright as one could be after being abducted by a hostile alien race. He wanted to answer him, hurry towards him, help him, but he suddenly found himself confronted with the Pretender's weapon before he could have done anything. Somehow he managed to duck under the silvery tail that came darting towards him, which his opponent countered with an angry hiss. He evaded the next attack as well as the following, but even if he could keep this up for the next hour or so (and that was a pretty big if, considering that he didn't have a battery as an energy source), what would he have achieved? He would win some time, but as long as no one knew where he was that didn't help him.

"The location!" the Pretender exclaimed as its tail came crashing down on the spot where Lennox had been standing just seconds before.

"Sorry" he retorted and jumped to the left. "Classified."

The next attack was so off that Lennox at first thought the Pretender was getting tired. Then he understood that the metal tail hadn't aimed for him at all. "Watch out!" he yelled as he whirled around only to see how Sam just barely avoided being struck in the chest by the weapon. However, with his arms tied up he didn't have the balance to evade as the tail slithered back through the air and wrapped itself around his throat. Sam made a gurgling sound and fell back on the ground with a loud thud. Lennox was at his side within a heartbeat, but before he even had the chance to touch the Pretender's elongated part, much less attack it, it let go off Sam and exploited Lennox' unguarded stance without hesitation. The next thing he felt was a burning sensation in his left shoulder that soon turned into an uncontrollable explosion of pain and sent him crashing back into the wall. For a second, everything turned black, then he forced himself back to the surface and stared directly into the brown eyes of his adversary. The tip of the tail was flipping back and forth beside its head, red with blood. His blood, Lennox assumed, and looked down at his shoulder that seemed to be one large wound right now, bleeding severely and hurting even more.

The Pretender must have noticed his gaze, because it smiled cruelly and said: "I don't care about classified, human. Tell me where my master is hidden and I might spare your pitiful life." At that, the tail came closer to Lennox' face, touching it softly and leaving a streak of red liquid on his skin. He tried to step away from it, but the Pretender just moved closer and pressed him against the cold stonewall, making it hard to breathe. He could smell the weird combination of metal, oil and human sweat emanating from the machine, and he felt the whirring and humming of inorganic parts doing their job inside its chest.

"Better… kill me now…" Lennox panted and returned the cold stare of his opponent. "I can't tell."

"Can't?" the Pretender whispered and let its tail curl itself around Lennox' neck without cutting off his air supply. "Or won't?" At that its grip tightened just enough to make it almost impossible to breathe. He felt a surge of panic wash over him, but quickly fought it back down. Panic wouldn't help him right now. His hands touched the stones behind him, his fingertips searching frantically for anything that might help him out and finally stopping at something that felt like a loose rock.

"B-both" he managed to answer, which wasn't easy without air. His throat was burning by now and his lungs screamed for oxygen, but once again he allowed the pain to flow through him, turning it into background noise. His logical sense told him that he was still inhaling enough of it to survive, even though it didn't feel like it, and he somehow managed to convince his body of this fact. His fingers tried to pull out the rock in the wall, carefully, slowly, until he held it in his right hand.

"Maybe I can change your mind" the Pretender hissed and tightened its grip once more. This time Lennox knew there wasn't enough space in his windpipe to survive for long, so he didn't have any choice but to act now. "A-alright" he gasped and, as soon as he felt the tail retreat just a little bit, yanked up his right arm and let the rock come crashing against his adversary's temple.

He had no idea how much a Pretender could take – this hit wouldn't even have been enough to tickle Barricade, but he remembered how Mikaela had managed to finish the last Pretender off by smashing it against a light pole. Maybe the stone would do the trick too.

His opponent didn't make a sound as the weapon hit him, but simply stumbled backwards. The tail conceded and gave Lennox enough space to duck under it, then he attacked again by dealing out a blow to the Pretender's nose, trying to press it into the back of the 'Con's skull. An icky cracking sound resonated and the Pretender tried to tumble away, but still Lennox didn't stop. He had this one chance to take his opponent out and he certainly wouldn't blow it by breaking off too soon. Another hit to the back of its head and one more against its temple were enough to actually send it down on its knees. After the fifth blow, the Pretender lay still. Lennox could see dark metal underneath the skin he had just torn, and behind one of the eyes small sparks stood up. Had he killed it? He dealt out two more strikes just to be sure before stepping away from the dead 'Con and turning around to face Sam.

"B-boy, am I glad to see you!" his friend said and he couldn't help but smile in relief at these words. Though he had managed not to dwell on it, the fear of what the Pretender might have done to Sam after taking his form had been with him ever since the thought had first occurred to him. He was at his friend's side only seconds later and helped him untie the rough rope around his wrists. Sam gave him a thankful smile and accepted Lennox' outstretched right hand to get up, then looked critically at the colonel's shoulder. Though Lennox hadn't forgotten about the wound, he had simply ignored the pain during the battle, but now it slowly began crawling back again, making him contort his face. "Yeah, I guess we better find a bandage" he commented and was about to rip a piece of cloth from his black shirt, when Sam suddenly yelled "Watch out!" and dealt him a hard shove that almost made him lose his balance.

He hadn't killed it after all, Lennox realized and watched in shock as the Pretender's weapon found its way into Sam's shoulder the same way it had pierced his before. The boy was slammed against the wall and pinned against it by the sharp metal, letting out an anguished scream that was cut off when the 'Con closed its fingers around Sam's throat.

"That was not very nice" it growled. The eye with the sparks didn't seem to work anymore and a dark liquid dripped slowly down the damaged face. The skin on its face was badly damaged and somehow reminded Lennox of that of a Terminator. Everything else, however, seemed to be in perfect order, and Lennox would have scolded himself for his recklessness if he had had the time. Right now he was just filled with worry for his friend's life. The 'Cons knew that he held the key to finding Megatron – Sam however was nothing more than expandable, collateral damage. "I wonder what would happen if I were to do the same to the boy?"

Lennox knew when he had lost. He dropped the makeshift bandage and lifted both arms up in a surrendering motion, and for a second the memory of Annabelle and Sarah flooded through him again at that gesture. He suddenly wasn't as sure that he would make it back to them safely, and the thought hurt a lot more than his wounded shoulder.

"Tell me" the Pretender hissed once more and clenched its fingers so hard that Sam let out a tormented cough. His eyes were still widened in fear and Lennox could discern the panic in his look. What could he do? Telling the 'Cons about Megatron wasn't an option, but not doing so wasn't one either. "Tell me or the boy dies." At that the tail in Sam's shoulder moved and made him scream again, though the sound soon turned into an anguished gurgle due to lack of air.

"Let him go!" Lennox exclaimed though he knew it would be futile. Right now he was just trying to buy some time. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"He has _everything_ to do with this!" the Pretender shot back and sent him an angry look that actually seemed to convey a true emotion in his one eye. "It's his fault Lord Megatron lost! Now tell me or –"

The 'Con was interrupted by Sam who through coughs managed to stammer: "I-I'l… I'l tell you… I know… where he… where he is…"

For a second both Lennox and the Pretender simply stared at Sam in disbelief. Did the boy actually know? But how? Then he got back to his senses and said in a commanding tone of voice: "Sam, don't!"

"Yes, Sam, do tell" the Pretender purred, which just sounded wrong in this metallic, Sam-like voice. He could see how their adversary gave the boy the chance to breathe freely again and looked at him expectantly.

"Sam, you can't do this!" Lennox tried again and took a step towards the other two, which the Pretender countered instantly by yanking its tail out of the wall and Sam and letting it whip towards the colonel. While he threw himself to one side in order to evade, he could hear Sam cry out, but right now he wasn't in any position to help him. He realized too late that he had tried to use his injured shoulder to roll off and drew breath in sharply when the pain washed over him. He could see exploding lights in front of his eyes, then he felt a vice-like grip around his chest and was pushed face down on the hard ground while the tip of the tail drilled itself into the existing wound like some kind of oversized needle. This time the pain was just too much: Lennox let out a loud scream and used all of his body weight to brace himself against his attacker, but the metal around him didn't budge.

"D-don't!" he heard Sam's worried voice. "I'll tell you, but don't hurt him!"

He wanted to tell Sam to shut it, wanted to explain to him what would happen if they actually found Megatron _and_ had a way to revive that metallic S.O.B., but all that left his throat was a hoarse croak. He didn't doubt that Sam knew all the arguments Lennox wanted to yell at him, but he knew as well that, although Sam had been through far too much in his young years, he wasn't trained to withstand the kind of physical and mental pain the Pretender could expose him to. Hell, he didn't even know whether _he_, with all his training, would have been able to take his secret to the grave. Still he cursed as loud as the weight upon him would allow him to and continued to struggle against the metallic bonds to no avail.

"Well?" he heard the Pretender say and winced as the tip was plunged deeper into his flesh.

_Don't, Sam!_ he thought and … gazed up in surprise as he heard his friend's next words: "It's at Cheyenne Mountain."

_It's what?_

Then he understood. Sam must have had a plan all along – apparently to buy some time, and though Lennox didn't really know how that would help them, he decided to play along and let out a moan which he hoped sounded like he had to admit defeat.

"Cheyenne Mountain?" the Pretender muttered.

Lennox felt how the grip around his chest loosened up, then both the tip and the rest of the tail were pulled back and allowed him to get up on his knees. His legs still felt too shaky to support his weight and his shoulder burned like hell, but at least he was still alive. But for how long?

"Yeah" Sam confirmed. "That's a secret military facility in Colorado. It's heavily guarded and has been designed with the help of Optimus. You'll never get inside it!"

The Pretender's lips curled into a smile as it came closer towards Sam. The blood stained tail flicked behind it like that of a nervous cat. "Thank you, fleshling." Then, without any warning, it pushed its weapon forth again, hitting Sam directly in the chest with its broad side. The boy toppled over without a sound, probably unconscious before he even hit the ground, and the 'Con turned around, eying Lennox suspiciously. "If I find out that he lied…" it said in a cold tone of voice while closing the distance between them with three fast steps, "… I'll kill you both."

"You'll kill us anyway" Lennox replied as calmly as possible, though he couldn't prevent himself from gazing at Sam with worry. The boy was breathing, thank God, but he didn't look good. Neither of them did.

The Pretender smiled at that. "Yes" it admitted. "But there's a difference between a quick and a slow death."

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	4. Chapter 4

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Lennox tried to struggle against his bonds one more time but only achieved that the burning he had felt before turned into a full blown surge of pain as the rough material peeled skin from flesh. Warm blood dripped on his hands and gave him the hope that maybe he could slip through the fetters due to the fluid, but they had been bound far too tight. Beside him he heard a soft moan and looked down at Sam just in time to see the boy's eyelids flutter open.

Finally. He couldn't see his watch, so he had no idea how much time had went by since the 'Cons had left them, but he estimated that Sam must've been unconscious for at least an hour and he had already grown quite nervous. What if the blow had been too hard and had sent him directly into a coma? Now he heaved a sigh of relief and said with something that he hoped would resemble an encouraging grin, but probably looked a lot more like an agonized grimace: "Welcome back, Sam." The Pretender hadn't allowed him to bandage neither his nor Sam's wound, and the blood loss alone was by now almost enough to make him dizzy. He had managed to dull the pain by breathing slowly and calmly, but every movement connected to his attempts to escape rekindled the fiery sensation.

"W-what… happened?" Sam whispered and tried to sit up unsuccessfully. Lennox felt a piercing twinge in his heart as he saw how the boy's handsome features were contorted by pain and he heard him utter a hissed curse. "Dammit, that hurts!"

"Don't strain yourself" Lennox replied with a soothing noise. He had hoped that Sam could help him with untying the ropes, but in his current state his friend wouldn't be of much help. "You took a pretty hard hit. How are you feeling?" Though he had tried to find out whether Sam was suffering from a concussion, the boy seemed to misunderstand him and growled: "How do you think I feel?"

At that Lennox smiled. That sounded a lot like the old Sam, which meant that he probably was feeling better by the minute. "I think" he said with a mischievous look in his eyes, "that you've watched far too much Stargate. Cheyenne Mountain a secret hiding place for an alien enemy? Seriously?"

The words did the trick: Sam returned the grin and answered: "Pretty good thinking, wasn't it? With all these satellite images they receive they just _have_ to pick up attacking Decepticons early enough to do something about them."

Sam was right, that _was_ pretty good thinking. The Cheyenne Mountain Directorate and the Air Force Station at Peterson would at least be able to hold off an impending attack long enough for the Autobots to arrive, and if they were really lucky (not that luck had been something to cheer for the last few hours) their friends would be able to extract information on Sam's and his location from the 'Cons. Still, he wouldn't just sit around here and wait for the outcome of that battle.

"Yeah, it was" he admitted with a smile. Then he got back to their current situation and asked with an unmistakable nod towards his tied up hands: "How about we get out of here?" Sam understood instantly and tried to move into a position where his fingers were able to reach Lennox'. The touch sent a chill down the colonel's spine: They were icy cold, probably due to a combination of blood loss and far too tightly bound fetters, and Sam let out a pained hiss when Lennox tried to feel out the knot holding the rope together.

"Sorry" he whispered. "I'll try to be more careful."

"N-no need" Sam panted, presumably in an attempt to sound brave. "Just hurry."

Lennox had to admit, the more he got to know Sam, the more he admired the boy. He had experienced situations that normal people wouldn't dream of in their wildest nightmares, facing them with an impressive fighter nature, and he had survived even when all hope had seemed lost. He had withstood pain and sorrow and didn't hesitate for a second to sacrifice himself to save others. _You really are a soldier at heart, Sam,_ he thought while his fingers finally managed to find the right place on the bonds. With Sam's help, he eventually loosened the knot and made a triumphant sound as Sam's hands finally were free.

Sam rubbed his wrists to stimulate the blood flow and uttered a "Thank you", but instead of focusing his attention towards Lennox' rope, he began to dig in his back pocket and only answered the colonel's questioning look with a "Hold on a sec". What on earth was he doing?

"If that's not a pocket knife you've hidden in there…" he tried to joke, but was interrupted by a relieved sigh and a "Thank God, it's still here." Sam had found a small metallic object – a dog tag, Lennox could now see – and held it up with a broad smile.

"Would you care to explain to me what that is?" Lennox wanted to know and raised an eyebrow as Sam simply answered: "A panic button." And with that he broke the tag in two pieces.

Lennox stared at him incredulously. "You're not serious."

"Of course I am. Bee gave it to me after last year's attack. So that he could find me if anything should happen." While explaining the pendant's function, Sam had begun to free Lennox, though he hesitated for a moment when he saw the blood on the colonel's wrists.

"It's alright, Sam" Lennox encouraged him to continue, ignoring the burning pain he felt when the boy's fingers touched the open wounds. Forcing himself to breathe calmly, he moved his arms in front of his chest and took a look at the wrists – nothing that wouldn't heal given time. "Thanks." Then he shifted back to more important matters. "If you were running around with a panic button, then why didn't you activate it when they attacked you? I mean, I _do_ feel honored that you trusted me enough to call me, but don't you think Bee might've had a better chance at bringing down Barricade?"

At that Sam's grin turned into something that seemed to be a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. "Well, I… I think I panicked."

_Figures_, Lennox thought with a sigh. _A soldier, yes, but a clumsy one_. As brave as Sam was, sometimes he wondered how that boy had actually survived getting shot at, falling from high rises and being attacked by giant alien robots. He chose not to comment on Sam's apologetic expression and continued where he had left off before the Pretender had attacked a second time: He ripped a piece from his shirt, made a makeshift bandage and bound it tightly around Sam's shoulder before tending to his own wound. The bleeding had stopped by now, but he was afraid that any large movement would tear it open again. Though he had just scoffed at their recent stroke of _luck_, Lennox actually had to admit that they both had been quite lucky: A direct hit by that sharp tail could've broken bones or severed a main artery, but they had made it through with minor wounds that would heal.

Lennox considered briefly whether they just should wait here, now that he knew help would come, but decided against it. The transmitter would move with them, so Bee would have no problem tracking them down even if they made their way towards the next village.

"We better get a move on" he said and stood up a little bit too fast for his worn out body, which countered his movement with nausea and dizziness.

Sam must have noticed this, because he looked up at him with worried eyes and asked: "You okay there?"

His first thought was to simply answer: "No, I'm not." With these injuries and the blood loss he wouldn't be of much help if the 'Cons returned before the Autobots. Then again, how much could he do against these adversaries without any weapons? So he tried to force a grin on his lips while he replied: "It's going to take a lot more than that to take me out."

Sam didn't look convinced, but it wasn't like he had any choice than to believe him. With a nod, he scrambled to his feet and staggered towards the temple entrance, glancing back at the opening to the tomb behind him. "Why would they think they could find Megatron here?"

"That" Lennox answered while he followed the boy out, "is a very good question. We had actually considered the tomb, because some of us had been quite sure that the Decepticons wouldn't think it to be a good enough hiding place and thus simply would ignore it. Either we were wrong, or they must somehow have found out about our initial intentions."

At that Sam turned around and faced Lennox with a grim expression on his face. "They must have a spy, then, because the Pretender told me that _someone_ had been wrong and they wanted the _real_ location."

Lennox sighed, but didn't give Sam an answer right away. This was bad news, because it meant that there actually was a traitor in their midst. But who in their right mind would work together with the 'Cons after the disaster last year? There could be no one stupid enough to think just for a second that they would get away with their lives if Megatron was revived and got another shot at conquering the earth! Unfortunately, sometimes the desire for power made people stupid, Lennox thought when he thought back at that Dylan Gould character who had almost succeeded in the destruction of their planet. Apparently he had found a worthy successor. Great.

"What about Megatron, did they say something about how they want to get him back up and running?" he wanted to know. They had left the temple and he turned east, hoping that he remembered correctly where the town of El-Gi was located. After being inside the cool structure, the heat hit him like a sledgehammer, and already he could feel his dry throat scratching in protest. When was the last time he had had something to drink?

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sam shake his head. "No, just a lot of gloating about how this time they will bring Optimus to his knees."

"This just gets better and better" Lennox grumbled and pointed at something he couldn't see due to the large, black rocks, though he was sure it had to be there. "A few hours in that direction should bring us back to civilization" he explained, only to discover that there was one thing he hadn't reckoned with: A quite large and dangerous thing. His instincts told him about the pending danger a heartbeat before it actually was upon them, and he used the precious fraction of a second as effective as possible by shoving Sam out of harm's way and back towards the relative security of the temple. Sam reacted instantly and climbed up the giant step, reaching his hand out to help Lennox get up.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any time left. Though Barricade must've slowed down a lot before actually hitting him with one of his arms, the impact was still violent enough to knock the air from his lungs and to catapult him high into the air. As his world turned upside down, he thought he heard Sam cry his name, but the sound was drowned out by the realization that a fall from this height, even if he was extremely lucky, would break every bone in his body. He should have panicked at that thought, but the pain and the lack of oxygen had brought him too close to unconsciousness for him to feel anything else than a deep regret for not being able to say goodbye to Sarah and Annabelle.

"Thought you could escape, fleshling?" he heard Barricade's mechanical voice hiss somewhere behind him. The 'Con sounded almost amused, as if he just had waited for them to leave the temple. He should have thought about the possibility that the Pretender had left behind a guard dog – of course the two of them hadn't been alone. But now it was too late for him. Optimus would never make it in time to catch him. He just hoped that Sam would manage to survive long enough for their friends to arrive.

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	5. Chapter 5

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Lennox closed his eyes and prepared himself for the collision, but when it finally came it wasn't anywhere near as brutal as he had feared, though it did hurt. Only seconds later, cold, sharp metal claws closed around his waist; just tight enough to allow his battered lungs to draw in a gulp of air. When he opened his eyes he stared directly into two large, red glowing lights. Barricade made a sound that could have been a 'Con's way of chuckling, shaking its whole, metallic body and feeling like a major earthquake to Lennox. He wasn't sure if his body was about to go numb due to everything it had been through this night or whether he was still close to simply passing out, but somehow he wasn't all that frightened right now, and certainly not as frightened as he should have been.

"You… might as well… just let me drop" he panted and tried to return the 'Con's cruel stare with a defiant look.

"I will" Barricade retorted and loosened his grip enough for Lennox to feel his body slipping, then it was tightened again and his adversary moved him just an inch closer to its brutish looking metal face. "As soon as Rebel gives the order."

Rebel was probably the Pretender, Lennox mused, and Barricade was apparently in a chatty mood, which was quite understandable if he had been left behind to prisoner-sit. Maybe he could use that to his advantage until the Autobots arrived.

"Has he gone to fetch Megatron alone?" he asked innocently, feigning something he hoped would resemble a hopeful expression.

Again that chuckling laughter – it would probably have given him a concussion, if he didn't already have one from the last few times he was thrown around like a rag doll. Sometimes he hated his weak human form that had nothing to set against their robotic enemies.

"Stupid human!" Barricade thundered. "She's gathering the others. Your friends won't know what hit them."

That didn't sound too good – how many of the 'Con's had survived the attack on Chicago? They had used the last year to track as many of them down as possible, but he was afraid that they hadn't even discovered more than a fraction of their enemies. If most of them were as tough as Barricade, whom he had thought to be dead after being caught in the explosion, there were probably a lot more than he or anyone else had realized. His thoughts must have been quite clearly to read, because his adversary laughed once more, before turning around and shouting into the temple: "Don't make me come get you, boy!"

Sam had already been standing in the doorway, staring up at them with something that resembled a mixture of panic and concern on his face. "Alright, alright" his friend yelled back at the 'Con. "Just put him down and we'll stay right here till he gets back."

Barricade grumbled something and was already on his way down, when a loud roar filled the air above them. The 'Con stopped dead in his tracks and Lennox could tell that Barricade's attention suddenly was elsewhere – he simply let go off Lennox and uttered something that was probably a curse in his native language. For a fraction of a second, Lennox' body was almost paralyzed due to the sudden shock of having been released, then his reflexes took over and he managed to grab a hold of one of the 'Con's claws and pulled himself back up until he found a more or less secure foothold.

"What…?" he heard his enemy snarl. Then his giant steel corpus turned around with one swift movement that almost caused Lennox to lose his grasp on the transformer. He held on for dear life, glancing nervously down at the ground fourteen feet below him. As much as he wanted to get as far away from the 'Con as possible, right now was certainly not the time. Instead he decided to try and move higher up, before Barricade remembered the human between his claws and could close them again. With his right hand, he searched for a protruding part that he could use as a ladder, found it only an instant later and climbed up. His shoulder protested at the harsh treatment and he could feel how the wound was torn open once more, but there was no time to give it a break right now. Finding the next possible spot for his hands and feet, he moved further up, until he finally reached the wheels on the 'Con's arm. From there he hurried on, only remembering too well how deadly they could become. Barricade was still staring at the sky as if he expected something quite dangerous to fall out of it any second now, which apparently made him forget all about his human prisoner.

The noise returned, and this time Lennox saw what he had hoped for since Sam had hit the panic button: A glittering, yellow object was on its way through the sky. Bumblebee.

"But how…" Barricade muttered in surprise and somehow that thought seemed to refocus his attention on Lennox. The metallic fingers closed and a howl of disappointment revealed that the 'Con actually hadn't discovered the colonel's disappearance. It didn't take Barricade more than a second to notice the movement on his arm, though, and Lennox only barely managed to dodge the grasping claws from his adversary's left hand by climbing to the other side of his arm, holding on to one of the giant screws on that side. Without hesitating a second, he jumped on to the Con's back, grabbing a hold of what he supposed was a door when Barricade took his Saleen form.

"Rat!" the 'Con roared and whirled around. Lennox had to use both arms to hold on in order to stay where he was as the centrifugal force did its work. His shoulder seemed to scream in protest, but he didn't let go before Barricade finally came to an abrupt halt and once more stared up at the sky. "Bumblebee" he growled as the yellow Autobot came closer with a roaring: "Barricade!". Lennox saw his chance and jumped another notch down, landing in the hollow of the 'Con's knee and holding on to the Saleen's backlight. How far down? He glanced scrutinizingly at the ground – couldn't be much more than three or four feet. That should be possible.

The next sentence convinced Lennox that a jump was the best shot at survival he had right now: "I'll crush you like a bug!" Barricade shouted up at Bee and Lennox could feel how the mechanical body was tensed like a spring, ready to go off at any second. He let go off the backlight and readied himself for the fall, rolling off his good shoulder and using the force of his own momentum to get back on his feet. Then he darted out of the way before the 'Con could have trampled him in its attempt to find the right position to attack.

Bee had been circling above the temple area, probably to discern what was happening, how many enemies he was dealing with and were Sam was before actually engaging in any battle. Now he was flying lower, eying the 'Con suspiciously for any sign of charge. When Barricade finally set off, Bee stopped in his flight and readied himself. The crashing sound of the two transformers clashing together resounded forcefully in Lennox' ears and he made a run for it towards the temple before they could hit the ground again. Sam helped him up, but before they could have made it to the inside, Bee was hurled against the wall beside the entrance and sent rocks and dust raining down on them. Lennox noticed with worry that the ceiling above them showed considerable cracks and for no apparent reason he found himself wondering what the Jordanian government would say to the massive destruction they just had caused. Pushing the thought away he turned his attention towards the yellow Autobot who was about to get back up with a loud groan.

"Bee!" he heard Sam scream beside him and just managed to catch the boy's arm before he could have stormed back out onto the battlefield. "BEE!" Sam called out again and gave Lennox an angry look accompanied by a high pitched: "Let go off me!". At the same time, another violent tremor hit the building as Barricade smashed into the Autobot and tried to stop him from standing up. Lennox pulled Sam with him to the right as the left wall ultimately couldn't take the stress anymore and gave in, collapsing with a thundering blast. They barely managed to evade the hail of stones shooting into temple and had to throw themselves on the ground as a giant arm with whirling blades cut through the room and broke through the right wall. Lennox tried to cover Sam's body with his own, but reacted too slowly and couldn't prevent that a large rock hit the boy's leg. Sam let out a sharp cry of pain that pierced through the sounds of the fight and must have reached Bee's hearing too, because the Autobot suddenly yelled: "SAM!", losing a precious second that Barricade exploited shamelessly: The Decepticon dealt his adversary a hard punch against the chest that sent Bee flying through the temple, then he turned around and stared at Sam and Lennox out of his terrifyingly red optics.

Lennox understood instantly as the large metal claws moved towards them. Bee's concern for the human must have given him the idea to use Sam as a shield! "We have to get out!" he shouted and pulled Sam up. The boy tried to follow his order, but as he put weighed on the wounded leg, his knees yielded and he fell back down, almost dragging Lennox with him. He heard Bee scream something, but the sound of blood rushing through his veins and the heavy steps of the approximating 'Con made it impossible for him to understand his words. Once more he made an attempt to help Sam up, placing his friend's arm around his shoulder to support him. Unfortunately, it was too late: Barricade bent down and stretched out his metallic claws to close them around his victim. Lennox tried to push the boy out of the way, but Sam's leg thwarted his plan once more and instead of ducking under the impending attack, he only managed to shove his friend further away from Barricade.

But not far enough.

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	6. Chapter 6

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One of the 'Con's claws hit him directly in the stomach, cutting through it like a knife through butter, and Lennox gasped in shock as the full realization of what had just happened hit him. Sam's eyes widened and he fell down into the pile of rubble outside the temple with a loud thud, his white shirt already stained with far too much red blood. Lennox hurried to the boy's side as swiftly as possible. He had to stop the bleeding, and fast! Ripping off the remains of his shirt, he turned it into a makeshift bandage and bound it tightly around the injury. The sound of Sam gasping in pain at the sudden pressure on his wound pierced his heart, but he couldn't allow himself to take feelings into account right now if he wanted to save the boy's life. Behind him he heard Barricade curse angrily, but the 'Con didn't spend any more seconds on his victim. He suddenly was too busy fending off Bumblebee's desperate attacks.

"SAM!" the Autobot called out to his friend while dealing out a hard blow to Barricade's head that sent the 'Con flying against the still standing part of the right wall. He knocked it down and stumbled out into the open, and before he could get back on his feet the Autobot was upon him, kicking him in the breast and forcing him further away from Sam and Lennox.

"Get Sam out of here!" Bee shouted while attacking Barricade once more, but this time he had underestimated the 'Con. Barricade evaded with a movement so elegant that it seemed to defy the bulky nature of its robotic figure, and the strength behind Bee's blow catapulted the Autobot forward with its own momentum. Barricade didn't hesitate – he followed up on Bee's misfortune by pursuing him with a hard strike against the unguarded back that sent the Autobot down on one knee. Another blow to the head made him crash against one of the black rocks that were surrounding the temple entrance, pulverizing the stone instantly. Lennox spent a precious second to stare incredulously at the horrifying scene, wondering whether their friend stood a chance against his powerful adversary. Sam's best chance of survival was to be taken to the nearest hospital by his giant friend, but how long would the battle between the Autobot and the Decepticon take and what would the outcome be? Though in mortal danger himself, Bee noticed the colonel's gaze and yelled "NOW!" before parrying another blow from his attacker.

Lennox nodded in understanding and bent down at Sam's side, placing one arm under his back and the other one under the hollow of the boy's knees. Though his shoulder protested with a burning stab, he managed to get to his feet while lifting his friend up. Sam moaned and stammered something that sounded like: "N-no… B-bee!", but Lennox chose to ignore him. They couldn't help their friend right now, and he had to get Sam to a hospital as quickly as possible. As fast as he could move with the boy's weight in his arms, he left the temple area. For a heartbeat he thought they wouldn't make it: Barricade had by now noticed what was happening and focused his attention from Bee towards them, trying to close the gap between them with one large jump, but the Autobot had predicted the movement and followed Barricade, plucking him from the air and smashing him back into the ruins of the temple. Lennox dodged more rocks that came shooting at them, almost tripping due to the extra weight, but managing to run away from the battle field nonetheless. Sam mumbled "Bee" one more time, then his gaze turned glassy and Lennox realized with a deep concern that the boy maybe even had less time than he had first assumed. The wound was, as far as he could see, not fatal, but given enough time and without any medical care there could be no doubt that it would kill him. Five clicks to El-Gi – almost three quarters of an hour without baggage, probably more than one if he was actually able to carry Sam all the way. Far too long, he feared, but right now there were no alternatives. So he moved on, trying to ignore the sound of the battle behind him. A metallic scream reached his ears and he knew with every fiber in his body that it had been Bee's. He knew Sam's Autobot was strong, but so was the enemy he was fighting. Could he do it? No, he couldn't spend precious energy on thinking about the outcome of the fight. He had to focus everything he had left on carrying Sam to El-Gi as fast as humanly possible. So he put one foot in front of the other, far too slowly for his taste, but at least steadily, until he couldn't hear anything but a faint crashing and clanking sound, telling him that they were still at it.

After ten minutes the sweat was trickling down his back and his face, after twenty minutes he was sure that someone had filled his legs with lead. Every step seemed harder than the one before. The boy in his arms was breathing more shallowly by the minute, and his skin had gone from pale to white. The bandage was already drenched with blood. He was moving too slowly. He wouldn't make it in time! Another step, this time accompanied by a shooting pain in his back. The beating of his heart against his chest hurt like a giant was punching its way out of his body. Another step, and one more. How much time had passed? He didn't have the energy to look at his watch, and it didn't matter. He wasn't going to make it. Sam coughed tormented, and Lennox was shocked to see blood mixed with the spit.

"Hold on, kid" he muttered more to himself than to his friend. He wouldn't give up. He couldn't. All the times he and Sam had faced dangers together passed before his inner eye: How he had given Sam the Cube, filled with doubt and the unnerving feeling of just having signed the boy's death sentence. How they had stood side by side in Egypt to revive Optimus and the terrifying seconds where he had thought him to be dead. How he had tried to resuscitate his heart, how he had hammered his fists down on Sam's chest in wild desperation. Then Chicago, one more time where he had thought that Sam just couldn't have survived in the 'Con infected city. How they finally had brought down Starscream together and had landed on Bumblebee's hood, still amazed by their own achievement. Time and time again the boy's courage and determination had taken him by surprise. He couldn't let him down now. He had to continue. One more step, and one more. It became harder and harder to lift his feet from the ground, and he was probably going a lot slower now than before. At this rate it would take him hours to reach El-Gi. Another cough, more blood. "You're gonna make it through this, Sam" he whispered. "You have to, you hear me?" Again he put his foot forth, each time requiring more energy than he could possibly have left. And still he continued. He was startled by his own body and the hidden strength it contained. He had been pushed to the limit before, but this time he was sure that he had long passed what was in the realm of the possible and was going on by nothing than pure sheer force of will. Another step, another cough. At last he didn't feel the heat anymore, or the thirst, or the pain that seemed to have taken a hold of his battered body. Everything faded into one single thought: One more. One more step. And so he moved on, following some inner radar that was pointed towards the only city in the area, driven only by his wish to save his friend.

Suddenly, Sam's body began to shudder and pearls of sweat formed itself on his forehead. The fever had set in, Lennox understood, which meant that the wound must have become infected. He wanted to spur his body to move faster, but there was just nothing left to give. He tried to take another step, but this time his knees just gave in and he sank to the ground with a defeated moan. Somehow he managed to lay Sam down as gently as possible before falling down beside him and hitting the ground hard with his injured shoulder. Though the pain flared up instantly, he hadn't the strength to cry out. He hadn't the strength to do anything anymore. His arms were still locked into the same position they had held Sam in, and he was gasping for air like a fish on land. He had failed. Inside his head he heard voices, Sam's, Sarah's, Annabelle's, mixing together and not making any sense. Then other voices that he didn't know, speaking a strange language, some of them muttering words in English. It took him almost a minute to realize that they weren't just figments of his mind, and at first he simply refused to believe it. Only when he saw the face of a woman hovering above him, a worried expression in her icy blue eyes, he understood that they had made it.

"We need to get this one to a hospital, fast!" he heard a female voice call from somewhere beside him; they probably meant Sam. The voice had a professional tone to it, like it was used to giving orders. "You there, call for an ambulance! Tell them we need blood."

At that something in Lennox stirred, a faint memory of an evening long ago. They had discussed some weird article about blood types and personality. Blood. 0 negative. He tried to sit up, ignoring the soothing voice of the woman above him and the fiery sensation everywhere in his body. He heard the woman ask Sam directly: "Sir, Sir, what's your blood type?" and knew that the boy wasn't in any shape to answer.

"0… negative" he gasped while leaning on his elbows. "He's… 0 negative." From this position he could see the woman in charge. She was thirty, maybe thirty-five years old, tall and with a slender body. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she was wearing khaki shorts and a white blouse. The way she moved, completely calm and self-controlled, showed him that she knew what she was doing. When he felt her gaze upon him, he repeated his words and noted with worry that she frowned upon hearing them.

"0 negative!" she said to the man who was holding a cell phone and talking into it in a tongue he didn't understand. Towards Lennox she said: "Let's hope they have enough." Then she knelt down beside Sam again and Lennox lost her out of sight. _Let's hope they have enough?_ That didn't sound too good. He remembered something he had read in the news on his way home to Sarah, something about riots in this area that had culminated in some deaths and a lot of wounded, but he had completely forgotten about it until now. _Let's hope they have enough…_ He didn't come all this way just to lose Sam now, so he did something that sounded stupid in his own ears and probably even more crazy in the female doctor's: "I'm 0 negative." For a second the memory of that evening flared up like a vision before his inner eye. _"You're 0 negative too?" Sam laughed and took another sip of the red wine that had flowed quite freely this evening. "Good to know if anything happens."_ _Lennox had simply smiled at that and raised his glass. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. To peace!" "To peace!" Sam and the others had answered, and Carly had shouted in that clear voice of hers: "Bottoms up!"_ Lennox shook his head and returned to the here and now, staring directly into the eyes of the doctor.

She looked back at him and he could see how she just declared him nuts. Here he was, probably as pale as the moon, with a large, bleeding wound in his shoulder, and still he offered his own blood. He returned her look with a stern determination and forced his body into an upright position, which it countered by a sharp sting in… well, everywhere. Somehow Lennox managed to ignore the pain and said in a commanding tone of voice: "I want you to take my blood." As she hesitated, he added: "That's an order, doctor."

Somewhere behind the doctor and Sam, blue lights began to flash – was the ambulance already here? He saw with relief how the doctor gave him an acknowledging nod before she stood up to walk towards the car. That seemed to be the signal for Lennox' body to claim its right for rest, because it slowly collapsed back to the ground without him having any say in the matter and all he could do was to look up at the clear, blue sky and wait for the paramedics heave him onto a gurney and carry him into the ambulance. The noises of all those talking around him were completely drowned out and he had to fight hard to keep his eyes open. He couldn't fall asleep. Not yet. Just before he was borne into the car, he thought he saw something in the sky, so far up that it was nothing more than a blue and red blur, swiftly followed by a silvery streak. _Hold on, Bumblebee_, he thought. _They're coming_. Then all he could see was the medical interior of the ambulance. As he turned his head, he discerned Sam and the doctor beside him. Her lips were moving and she was making gestures towards the two men standing on the other side of the gurney, but he couldn't hear her anymore. His gaze met Sam's, who had been provided with an oxygen tube. His eyes were still glassy and didn't seem to recognize him, but for one moment, nothing more than a heartbeat, he thought that he discovered a spark of life in them that defied everything his friend had been through. Then Sam closed his eyes again and left Lennox with a warm feeling of relief. He would be alright. The last thing he felt before being overtaken by the strong drowsiness was a stinging pain in his right arm as a needle penetrated his skin, then everything went black.

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	7. Chapter 7

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The first thing he noticed as he came to was the feeling that he wasn't alone. It took him a few seconds to remember what had happened, and for some reason it was almost impossible for him to open his eyes on the first and second try. Finally he managed to force his eyelids open and stared directly into an angel-like face framed by long, blonde locks. At first he thought it to be Sarah and muttered her name, but the woman replied with a warm smile: "She will be here soon."

When he heard the voice, he knew that it was Carly who was sitting on his bedside. He gave her a questioning look, adding a whispered: "Sam?" and her smile broadened.

"He's alright" she exclaimed with glee. "You made it just in time."

Lennox sighed in relief and sank back into the soft pillows. Thank God. For now, that was everything he needed to know – he could focus on what to tell N.E.S.T. later.

"I wanted to tell you as soon as you woke up. You kept asking Doctor Martin about him before they finally gave you something so you could fall asleep." At that she grinned mischievously. Though he had no recollection of anything that had happened after he had passed out in the ambulance, that _did_ sound like him. "And I wanted to thank you for bringing him back safely." She bent down towards him and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, more like a soft brush, really, and rose back up. Her blue eyes were filled with a mixture of joy and gratitude and Lennox actually felt himself blushing.

"Just… just returning the favor" he managed to utter with a crooked grin. Then he decided to change the subject. "Who's Dr. Martin?"

„The woman who officially proclaimed you insane" Carly explained and gave a high, clear laugh. "She said she has never met anyone crazy enough to order her around like that while being in such a bad shape. She _had_ to use your blood because they hadn't enough due to some political turmoils, but she wasn't all too happy about it as you apparently were running low on it yourself. Still, she says thanks. She says they couldn't have saved Sam without it. Guess that makes you blood brothers, doesn't it?"

"Very funny, Carly" Lennox retorted with a dry laughter, then asked: "What about Bumblebee? Is he… will he be alright?"

Carly seemed to understand that he wasn't in the mood for jokes right now, because she nodded and explained: "He took some serious damage, but Optimus and Sideswipe made it just in time. Barricade's dead. Again" she added with a sigh. "Guess we'll never find out how he survived Chicago."

„Cheyenne Mountain?" Lennox wanted to know.

"Safe and sound. The Autobots and the Air Force managed to fight the Decepticons back, though they didn't manage to catch any of them alive, unfortunately." At that a shadow of worry clouded her gaze. "They have a plan, don't they?"

"Yes" Lennox admitted grimly. They had more than a plan. They had an inside man and they had the ability to turn into anyone of them, making it hard to know who to trust. Carly must've read his thoughts, because she made a soothing noise and said: "Don't think about that now. Try and get some more rest." She didn't finish the sentence, but they probably thought the same thing: He would need it before the 'Cons made their next move. But he didn't say anything and simply nodded as she stood up and continued with a smile: "And I better go check on Sam." Before she left the white room he was lying in, she turned around once more. "Thank you, colonel. Thank you so much." Then she slipped through the door and left Lennox alone with his thoughts.

He stared at the door for a while, thinking about the conversation they had just had, and the more he considered the possibility, the surer he became. This wasn't over. Far from it. As much as he wanted to, there was no time for rest right now. Somehow there never was when transformers were involved.

Fini


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